Published: Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 5:12 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 5:12 p.m.

SARASOTA - A mound of eroding earth divides the docks from what remains of Kathryn and Dr. Joe Bilik's yard, which contains a backhoe and gaping pit. Dust floats up, landing in the family's pool and deck.

It has been almost a month and a half since a near-ecological disaster prompted the city to stop construction crews from rebuilding the crumbling seawall that divides the Biliks' backyard from Hudson Bayou, forcing the family of five — and two dogs — to live with the heaps of dirt and intrusions from city staff.

Kathryn Bilik said the ordeal has exposed a disorganized city government. Her family friend, Craig Holliday — whose construction company is in charge of redoing the seawall at 900 Citrus Ave. — agrees. By now, Holliday said, he should have been working on finishing touches: landscaping, a decorative wall.

Instead, he does not know when he can finish the project. And the delay is costing him. He estimates his expenses have totaled $40,000, which he wants the city to cover.

No way, city staff replied, pinning responsibility on Holliday and setting the stage for a legal battle.

The ordeal began in the spring as the Holliday Group was preparing to redo the Bilik's seawall, which blocks soil from slipping into the bayou in south Sarasota.

What happened over the next few months has been the subject of countless emails among city staff. City Manager Tom Barwin said he now gets updates twice a day on the matter. Holliday spends hours each day focused on it. Miscommunication and questions of who did what seem to color the discussion.

Back in early spring, the city came out to check for sewer and water lines as part of the construction process. Staff noted that a pipe carrying one-third of Sarasota's sewage to a pump station ran through the Bilik's backyard.

Who said what about the pipe's location is now disputed, City Attorney Bob Fournier said. Barwin said the line was well-marked and communicated to the contractor.

Too many plans

Holliday, however, said a utilities department employee told him — twice — that the line ran across the yard, not out through the seawall.

Holliday said he also had a property survey that showed a easement went through the seawall and out under Hudson Bayou, so he warned the construction crew to be careful, in case the utilities staffer was wrong.

In early May, as a backhoe driver was digging into the soil, he felt something hard in the area Holliday warned him about. He stopped to investigate.

Good thing.

Cracking open the pipe below would likely have dumped about four million gallons of sewage into Hudson Bayou, which leads to Sarasota Bay, said Utilities Director Mitt Tidwell, who faced this debacle shortly after he started work in Sarasota on Feb. 25.

After the pipe discovery, Holliday called the city. A swarm of employees descended on the yard to investigate.

“I might has well have uncovered an Indian burial ground,” Holliday said.

Barwin said he toured the site and “ordered” all work to stop until staff came up with a solution.

“The whole process was flirting with a potential disaster and we could not take even a 1 percent chance here,” he said.

On May 10, Utilities Engineering Manager Michael Crumpton wrote Holliday an email stating he could continue work — except within four feet of where the pipe goes through the seawall. If he wanted to work in that area, Crumpton said a utilities inspector would need to be on site.

Holliday said that restriction has ruined the workflow he planned for the project and Sarasota needs to come up with a plan so he can complete all seawall construction.

For weeks the city has been working on different plans — the latest entails placing a cage over the pipe to ensure no spill occurs.

“You're kidding me,” Holliday said of the succession of plans. “We went from notching a seawall, which is what's done 99 percent of the time, now I've got this total whacked-out system with dams and stuff.”

Poor customer service

For the Bilik family, every change means another week or two of waiting.

“You kind of expect the city to be well-organized in its plan and not to hold you hostage,” Kathryn Bilik said.

Tidwell said he hopes they understand his caution because of the potential environmental impact.

“We're going to extremes to make sure the pipeline is protected,” Tidwell said. “That's the reason we're being so careful and that's the reason this has stretched out time-wise.”

“I can't apologize enough for putting them in this position,” he said.

Barwin also said he felt bad for everyone involved, but the city had no option. He hopes construction on the newest plan can start next week.

City Commissioner Susan Chapman, who lives next door to the Biliks, said she is more concerned about the potential damage of raw sewage in the waterway than the project's time line.

But Mayor Shannon Snyder said he was disappointed in the performance of city workers.

“If you're really into making business work, this isn't how you should treat the customers,” Snyder said.

Holliday said he discussed the situation with Snyder and showed Commissioner Paul Caragiulo the yard, and both were disturbed by the delay.

Caragiulo said there was a lack of communication and some “waffling” by staff on how to proceed, because of a hyper-sensitivity to dealing with sewage near the bayou.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - A mound of eroding earth divides the docks from what remains of Kathryn and Dr. Joe Bilik's yard, which contains a backhoe and gaping pit. Dust floats up, landing in the family's pool and deck. </p><p>It has been almost a month and a half since a near-ecological disaster prompted the city to stop construction crews from rebuilding the crumbling seawall that divides the Biliks' backyard from Hudson Bayou, forcing the family of five — and two dogs — to live with the heaps of dirt and intrusions from city staff.</p><p>Kathryn Bilik said the ordeal has exposed a disorganized city government. Her family friend, Craig Holliday — whose construction company is in charge of redoing the seawall at 900 Citrus Ave. — agrees. By now, Holliday said, he should have been working on finishing touches: landscaping, a decorative wall.</p><p>Instead, he does not know when he can finish the project. And the delay is costing him. He estimates his expenses have totaled $40,000, which he wants the city to cover. </p><p>No way, city staff replied, pinning responsibility on Holliday and setting the stage for a legal battle.</p><p>The ordeal began in the spring as the Holliday Group was preparing to redo the Bilik's seawall, which blocks soil from slipping into the bayou in south Sarasota. </p><p>What happened over the next few months has been the subject of countless emails among city staff. City Manager Tom Barwin said he now gets updates twice a day on the matter. Holliday spends hours each day focused on it. Miscommunication and questions of who did what seem to color the discussion. </p><p>Back in early spring, the city came out to check for sewer and water lines as part of the construction process. Staff noted that a pipe carrying one-third of Sarasota's sewage to a pump station ran through the Bilik's backyard.</p><p>Who said what about the pipe's location is now disputed, City Attorney Bob Fournier said. Barwin said the line was well-marked and communicated to the contractor.</p><p><b>Too many plans</b></p><p>Holliday, however, said a utilities department employee told him — twice — that the line ran across the yard, not out through the seawall. </p><p>Holliday said he also had a property survey that showed a easement went through the seawall and out under Hudson Bayou, so he warned the construction crew to be careful, in case the utilities staffer was wrong.</p><p>In early May, as a backhoe driver was digging into the soil, he felt something hard in the area Holliday warned him about. He stopped to investigate.</p><p>Good thing.</p><p>Cracking open the pipe below would likely have dumped about four million gallons of sewage into Hudson Bayou, which leads to Sarasota Bay, said Utilities Director Mitt Tidwell, who faced this debacle shortly after he started work in Sarasota on Feb. 25.</p><p>After the pipe discovery, Holliday called the city. A swarm of employees descended on the yard to investigate.</p><p>“I might has well have uncovered an Indian burial ground,” Holliday said. </p><p>Barwin said he toured the site and “ordered” all work to stop until staff came up with a solution. </p><p>“The whole process was flirting with a potential disaster and we could not take even a 1 percent chance here,” he said. </p><p>On May 10, Utilities Engineering Manager Michael Crumpton wrote Holliday an email stating he could continue work — except within four feet of where the pipe goes through the seawall. If he wanted to work in that area, Crumpton said a utilities inspector would need to be on site. </p><p>Holliday said that restriction has ruined the workflow he planned for the project and Sarasota needs to come up with a plan so he can complete all seawall construction. </p><p>For weeks the city has been working on different plans — the latest entails placing a cage over the pipe to ensure no spill occurs. </p><p>“You're kidding me,” Holliday said of the succession of plans. “We went from notching a seawall, which is what's done 99 percent of the time, now I've got this total whacked-out system with dams and stuff.”</p><p><b>Poor customer service</b></p><p>For the Bilik family, every change means another week or two of waiting. </p><p>“You kind of expect the city to be well-organized in its plan and not to hold you hostage,” Kathryn Bilik said.</p><p>Tidwell said he hopes they understand his caution because of the potential environmental impact.</p><p>“We're going to extremes to make sure the pipeline is protected,” Tidwell said. “That's the reason we're being so careful and that's the reason this has stretched out time-wise.”</p><p>“I can't apologize enough for putting them in this position,” he said.</p><p>Barwin also said he felt bad for everyone involved, but the city had no option. He hopes construction on the newest plan can start next week.</p><p>City Commissioner Susan Chapman, who lives next door to the Biliks, said she is more concerned about the potential damage of raw sewage in the waterway than the project's time line.</p><p>But Mayor Shannon Snyder said he was disappointed in the performance of city workers.</p><p>“If you're really into making business work, this isn't how you should treat the customers,” Snyder said.</p><p>Holliday said he discussed the situation with Snyder and showed Commissioner Paul Caragiulo the yard, and both were disturbed by the delay.</p><p>Caragiulo said there was a lack of communication and some “waffling” by staff on how to proceed, because of a hyper-sensitivity to dealing with sewage near the bayou.</p><p>“You still got to get work done,” he said.</p>